The Last Hairbender: Hair Symbolism in Avatar

In the North and South comics, Katara re-braids her hair when returning to the Southern Water Tribe for the first time in years. Symbolic of her physical and metaphorical homecoming.

The real transition for Tophs hair is all in the fringe. When she is acting as the helpless daughter, her hair is pushed away from her face, giving you more focus on her eyes and her focusing in on what she CAN'T do. When she is fighting, her fringe is obscuring her face and covering her eyes. Now we aren't having our attention drawn to what she can't do, we must focus on her actions and what she CAN do. This messy fringe is consistent throughout her time on team avatar. However as time goes on the strands / sections covering her face get thinner, indicating she is OK showing vulnerability to those closest to her.

I swear bro we keep finding more ways to appreciate this masterpiece of a show

You mentioned it with Katara, but I feel like it’s probably worth mentioning with Sokka too that, the reason his wolf tail doesn’t look how he wants it to is because there were no men in the village to teach him how to do it

Your note about how touching someone’s hair is a sign of trust in the fire nation is fascinating as 1) Zuko notes that it took Iroh half an hour to do his hair for his date with an Earth Kingdom girl, meaning he allowed his uncle to do this for him despite his protests and 2) Azula’s mother appears after she cuts her own hair, possibly because she wishes her mother were still around to show her how to do it. Also, I don’t know whether this is meant to be a direct reference but Zuko cutting his topknot always reminded me of Ashitaka cutting his hair before leaving his village in Princess Mononoke. After all, both stories are about a prince cutting their hair and leaving their homes in disgrace to go on a journey of self-healing/self-discovery while also ending a war between nature spirits and human industrialists

I think the sentiment for Azula's hair being organised and having not even one hair be out of place also carries over to Ozai. Ozai was always seen with a regal and neat look, especially with his hair, symbolising control. However, after Zuko rebels and directly challenges that sense of control and act of punishment Ozai puts on Zuko, his hair unravels, literally being met with the loss of control through Zuko's act of rebellion when he deflects Ozai's lightning bolt.

I think Toph's hair being unchanging throughout ATLA (and even LOK) may have to do with how she attaches to people too. She doesn't show it but once you are her friend or family, she's keeping you in her heart. You are set in stone. Your relationship with her may increase or decrease in quality but in her way, you are still loved. She ran away from her parents who fundamentally didn't see her as herself but she still thinks about them enough to regret running away and tries to go back to make amends. Her hair is still the same as a grown women and grandmother. She has lost at the least 3 people (her parents and Aang) that have passed, is no-contact with her daughters, and further cut herself off from civilization. But her hair is the same like the way she greets Korra as Twinkle Toes.

This is why commentary like "It's just a cartoon" for animation ignores how complex and meaningful it can be.

Also, I think it's worth noting that: 1. Toph's Gao Gi is far more put together and sleek when she's in the custody of her parents, seeming only wild in comparison to Poppy's elaborate, fully-tucked Gao Gi, while as the Blind Bandit and a runaway, it's far more unkempt, as if she's done the ring bun out of a combination of habit and practice - she's been taught this one hairstyle all her life and she needs the longer sections of her hair out of the way, while due to her blindness her front baby hairs don't disturb her. 2. The impact these haircut changes had on their silhouettes and the way they come across: a. Aang's baldness was more sleek and streamlined, giving him a rounder, softer and more calm essense, while his brown hair and especially headband gives him a more mischievous look. This is when we see Aang all but completely removed from the foundational parts of his identity as both the Avatar AND an Air Nomad. b. Sokka shaves the rest of his head to purposefully look more severe and therefore "manly". Once he lets it all grow out, it signifies him being secure enough in his masculinity to allow his look to soften up. c. Like Aang, Katara's braid gives her silhouette a more streamlined look, while the times it's undone actually increase her presence - showing that she becomes more forceful when she loses control. This similarly applies to Azula, whom she mirrors in every way she doesn't mirror Zuko or Aang - Azula's silhouette becomes more jagged and flawed, but also bigger. Both girls react by scrambling for control, we see that in Azula during her breakdown, but Katara displays that in The Chase and The Runaway as well. d. Zuko's hairstyles completely change how he seems: The ponytail in the flashback looks innocent and honorable - characteristics he displays throughout the show. Book 1, his nearly-bald ponytail makes him look severe and almost cartoonish and unhinged. In early Book 2, the regrowth of the rest of his hair makes him look thuggish, something he almost stoops down to as a starving fugitive. Mid-late book 2, his hair is short, unstylable, as undefined as he is. Early Book 3, his topknot looks just like Azula - showing how much he's trying to be the perfect child his father wants, which is all Azula has ever been. Late Book 3(and the end of Book 2, though that doesn't last for long), his hairstyle is loose again, rounding his profile out and making him seem more approachable. And the Firelord crown gives his topknot the jagged edges that it lacked in Book 3, showing that he's who he is because he doesn't 100% fit the mold. e. In contrast, Iroh's entire silhouette is softer, wider and rounder, his topknot sticks out of it. Unlike Zuko, once its cut he only redoes it once - when he's in a position of authority, leading the White Lotus, and immediately removes it to embrace the humble life s a tea shop owner. Maybe it signifies he never felt an attraction to power or cared much for honor.?

I've never seen old Zuko from LoK before, and him wearing his hair and beard just like Iroh has me sobbing. 😭

I am a sucker for a character changing their hair symbolizing an internal change.

Overly sarcastic productions pointed out Ozai's obsession with symmetry as a shorthand for perfection can be seen in Azula's symmetrical hair and Zuko's asymmetrical scar

Hispanic/Cherokee here, for my cultures hair is a sign of victory and triumph as it was apart of journey. To cut it is to severe the memories of that journey and to forget your past. Another interpretation is that it is a warrior's pride, cutting the braids of a person(Especially a man or someone who identifies as a warrior) signifies defeat of some kind. This also applies to even smaller more personal interactions.(Losing a game for an athlete or losing a patient as a doctor). Hope this helps!

Katara with her hair down I my favorite hairstyle for her.

I always loved the symbolism with Zuko’s hair and the imperfections of it. Compared to his family (most notably Azula since they had similar hairstyles), Zuko’s edges for his topknot weren’t shown even. There were always slips of hair coming out, even when he was a child. It showcases his differences in who he is as a person compared to his family

The fact that hair is so important in the fire nation, and the first time azula is ever hit by katara is her hair is such a cool detail

OHHH GOOD LORD THAT KATARA POINT …. 😭 that hit so so so hard as someone who had to figure out how to do my hair on my own. for different reasons than her, im half black and my mothers asian so she had no clue how to do mine, but still. that hit DIFFERENTLY

THE AZULA HAIR PIN PART GAVE ME CHILLLSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! I’m so excited for more of your videos on stuff like this!!!!

I knew the lightning strike affected Aang’s qui (chi? Sorry for spelling) but I never considered how it marring his tattoos would affect him on that psychological level. One of my favorite hair moments in the series is when Katara slices a few strands off of Azula’s bangs in the season 2 finale.

You never fail to have a one liner that’ll make me cry idk man 😭😭 when u starting talking about kataras mom and hair braiding I lost it